What in the World is Going On in the Middle East(From a Christian Perspective)

There’s no question that all of us are deeply troubled by all the recent events in the Middle East – especially as regards Israel and Hamas. No-one can feel OK with all the suffering, violence and death happening daily in Gaza and other parts of the Middle East. 

From a human point of view and from a distance the situation in Gaza  doesn’t make any sense and it is easy to reduce it to a simplistic analysis that there are some extreme radical jihadists who, while evil, are fighting for a just, historic cause and that Israel is over-reacting and destroying the lives and livelihoods of innocent men, women and children who are caught in the middle of it. I’m sure this is the reason that many people joined the march over the harbour bridge recently and have participated in many other ‘pro-Palestinian’ protest marches. Well meaning, but sadly ill-informed and lacking the true picture.

The first thing to realise is that the background reality to the current events is very complex and that the majority of the media coverage is either poorly informed or actually intentionally misleading. Here are a few basic facts that are ignored or even denied:

• Israel has a historic Biblical claim to the land – this goes back 3,500 years (to the Abrahamic Covenant described in Genesis 13:14-17;15:18 and which is described as a ‘covenant for ever’). 

• Israel also has a historic legal claim to the land – established by the United Nations Resolution 181 in 1947, and, as of June 2024, the State of Israel is recognised as a sovereign state by 164 of the other 192 member states of the United Nations, or approximately 85% of all UN members. In contrast, there has never been a Palestinian State in history but one is likely to be recognized in September this year. (‘Palestine’ was actually the name Rome gave to the area after expelling the Jews as a Latinized version of ‘Philistine) 

• The people currently occupying Gaza and West Bank are basically Arabs who have lived in the region since the Islamic invasion 634 AD. 

• The mainstream narrative that Israel is intentionally or even indifferently causing suffering and deaths in Gaza is untrue – the prime reason is Hamas’ strategy of deliberately locating terrorists and weapons in civilian areas – even schools and hospitals – they are responsible for sacrificing ordinary people as ‘human-shields’.  

• The constant messaging that the Palestinians are starving and that Israel is shooting ordinary people who are trying to access outside aid has been exposed as false or at least exaggerated. In July 2025, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) admitted that its documentary “Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone” was propaganda. 

• The repeated claims that Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people is false. The IDF still endeavours to warn Gazans prior to attacks and has allowed humanitarian aid for civilians to be delivered under arrangements intended to prevent Hamas from diverting aid or controlling its distribution to reinforce its authority. 

• The important issue – often ignored, is that Hamas and Palestinian civilians took 250 hostages on Oct 7^th 2023, and still retain some of them in horrific conditions with little or minimal outrage. 

Background:

Historic Israel was expelled from its land by the Romans in AD70 though Jews have remained in the land throughout all the years of Jewish exile. Those that were forced to leave have suffered relentless hatred and persecution in every part of the world where they have tried to live since then (including by the institutional church). The climax to this anti-semitism was the holocaust during World War II which still has a devastating impact on the whole Jewish community - there are few Jews who do not live without the memories of the horrific cruelty and death their family members went through. The practical possibility of annihilation is a very real consideration for Jews in general and Israelis in particular. Ironically though, it contributed to the global recognition that they should be given their own land and allowed to be restored as a people. Israel was established as a nation again on May 14th 1948, and has since been involved in three major wars:

• 1948-1949 – the war of independence: it was invaded by five Arab nations only hours after its independence was declared

• 1967 – the ‘Six Day’ war: Egypt, Syria and Jordan again attacked Israel  

• 1973 – the ‘Yom Kippur’ war: a coalition of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria made a surprise attack on that sacred day

The emergence of a ‘Palestinian cause’ began in 1964 under Feisel Husseini who established the PLO (Palestinian Liberation Organization). Israel has since suffered decades of terrorism which climaxed with the horrendous attack on Oct 7^th 2023 by Hamas and supporters from Gaza. Approximately 1,200 men, women and children were tortured and slaughtered and 250 people taken hostage and paraded through the streets of Gaza to wild scenes of celebration in the Middle East and internationally. 

Christian Perspective:

From a Christian (Biblical) point of view, we are as disturbed by all the suffering as everyone else. We are not taking sides – all suffering is a consequence of human rejection of God’s will. However, the Bible makes it clear that the Jews (Israel) are God’s chosen people and therefore at the centre of God’s plan to bring the offer of salvation to the world (Gen 12:2-3; Gal 3:16, 26-29). God gave all humans the free-will to choose how they would live but he also warned that the consequences of rejecting him would be devastating: ‘…as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravit.’ (Rom 1:28-29). The issues in the Middle East are not primarily about who has the right to live in the land but a ‘spiritual’ battle between good and evil 

We respect the motivation of our political leaders and many organizations to try to reduce the tension in the Middle East and resolve the hostility and violence but the reality is that it is not in the capacity of any human power or organization to resolve the spiritual depravity that is rampant in the Middle East – only God can resolve it. The only right response is to humbly admit we have ignored the revelation of truth in the Bible to our detriment.

Three things that a Christian perspective brings to the current situation:

1. God treats every person equally – Israel’s mandate was always to be a ‘blessing’ to the world (Gen 12:3) and as well as providing universally recognized moral codes such as the ten commandments, this ‘blessing’ was supremely fulfilled with the coming of Jesus to offer salvation to Jews and Gentiles (non-Jews) alike. As Jesus himself said so clearly “God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life’ (John 3:16).

2. God’s prophecy regarding Israel is on-going – despite the long-standing efforts of Israel’s enemies to eradicate God’s ‘chosen’ people, it is abundantly clear from the Bible that Israel is to play a prominent role today and in the ‘end-times’ (Luke 21:24; Isaiah 2:2-4)

3. Jesus Christ will return and will reign over Israel and the world from Jerusalem – there are extremely ‘troubled’ times ahead for Israel and the world, but the Bible makes it clear that ‘a remnant’ will always remain and that the nation of Israel will be fully restored and that Christ will reign over the whole world (Zeph 3:20; Rev 11:15). If you are a Christian – or are at least curious about this, please read Isaiah 49:8-26 - and note the phrase ‘all mankind’ (v26) so this can only be an end-times prophecy not just a historical restoration for Israel.  

Conclusion:

However, the most important message in the Bible is not the message about the future of Israel (important as that is) – but our own personal future. We all face eternity, the question is: where will we spend eternity? The only way to be sure of our personal destiny is to acknowledge that Jesus Christ came with a simple but profound message of salvation and hope for Jews, Palestinians and the whole world. Jesus calls us to humbly admit that our fallen humanity needs his forgiveness and grace whoever we are and wherever we live. He promised that ‘if anyone comes to me I will in no wise cast them out’ (John 6:37).

I am sorry if this has been a bit provocative but if it has been helpful and you would like more information or just someone to pray with, please contact your local church or myself: 

Peter Thomas (pastor, Bowral Baptist Church) peterthomasp16@gmail.com